A review by jackiehorne
How Not to Ask a Boy to Prom by S.J. Goslee

4.0

Fun first person gay teen fake dating story. Not much backstory here; mostly dialogue and interior POV narration of anxious nonconformist junior Nolan, adopted as a teen, who is constantly low-level bullied by his het and "normal" classmates. Early in the story, Nolan's adopted sister, bossy senior Daphne, kind-bullies him into asking cute senior Si (the only out gay football player in school) to the prom. Only Nolan's classmate Bern, recently ugly-broken-up-with by longtime girlfriend Gia, butts in and accepts Nolan's silent request (Daphne made him a banner saying "GO TO PROM WITH ME?" so inarticulate Nolan wouldn't even have to speak). Bern implies that he and Nolan will be fake-dating, to show Gia that Bern isn't crushed by her rejection, which Nolan, who tends to go along to get along, goes along with, even though Bern was one of the ones who bullied him freshman year. Only maybe Nolan might have defensively misread that interaction? Maybe Bern actually likes him just a little?

Loved Goslee's/Nolan's narrative voice—spot on for a self-focused, cluelessness, queer, and deeply unconventional adolescent. And loved Nolan's adopted family, quirky and loving as he is. Sweet without being at all sentimental or cloying. Lovely, too, to have a mc teen whose bisexuality isn't made a big deal of, it just is.